Burhan Wani killing: Challenging times in Kashmir Valley as violence erupts again

New Delhi: It is not out of relish that I am using this title; challenging times in Kashmir Valley have remained in existence ever since I can remember. However, there is something more than ordinary happening right now which needs very early grasp and even faster response.  The luxury of time has never been on our side. The situation in Kashmir Valley always remains dynamic and he who cannot think on his feet cannot last the challenge. The killing of Burhan Wani, the young Hizbul Mujahideen leader of South Kashmir, is one of those times I am talking about. A glance at social media will tell how poorly informed people really are; how inexperienced minds think and how unknown remains Kashmir’s political, social and psychological scenario. From bludgeoning all protest using the kinetic route, to parting with Jammu & Kashmir as a territory, isn’t really reflective of India’s public intellect as a nation. A little introspection on the happenings in the Valley may be good for our future strategy. I stand by the statement made in media a few weeks ago that the situation in terms of combating terrorists in Kashmir Valley is well under control. However, it is all the other issues connected to terrorism which remain a major concern. Image: AFP The spiralling crowds at Burhan Wani’s funeral in Tral, the futility of attempting to set up check points to prevent movement of crowds and the willingness of youth to take to the streets in a repeat of 2008-10 protests, are all extremely worrisome but not unexpected. Social media has been live with discussion on whether Burhan should have been given a quite burial in an anonymous grave or allowed the privilege of a martyr’s funeral. This is an issue I too threw up and I had no doubts that it would be under serious discussion between the State Government and other stakeholders on the night before the funeral. Most opinion veered towards anonymity of an OBL type burial at sea. There were pros and cons but I think the decision of the Government was correct. The fact that there were more than 40 ‘Namaaz e Janaaza’ held in abstentia in other parts of Kashmir Valley supports the argument that mortal remains or none, Burhan Wani’s death alone was sufficient to raise the temperature. By giving the body to Wani family and in fact to the people, a part of the angst was actually diluted. However, this decision will be debated long after the events are over and Kashmir Valley hopefully returns to as normal as it can be. Image: AFP Unpredictability is the name of the game. It will be unfair to blame officialdom about the inability to think through the situation of the impact of the possible killing at the hands of the Army and Police, of a terrorist leader of Burhan Wani’s popular stature. Those outside the Valley cannot even judge the iconic status gained by him. Only if you are aware of how severely short of heroes is Kashmiri society will you realise the import of what I am stating. However, I do think that even inside the Valley there was a failure to judge this. It happens quite often there. In 2008 I was once informed of a token march by a few traders with a few trucks laden with fruit from Sopore to Uri to demonstrate the demand for cross-LoC trade. That tokenism transformed into close to 50,000 people on the road with a couple of hundred trucks and buses with violent intent. It was 11 August 2008 and it was the day Sheikh Abdul Aziz was killed near Rampur (Uri) leading to the start of the events which lasted three years. There is a segment which is of the belief that Burhan Wani was being tracked for over a month and the tracking could have continued for an eventual operation to eliminate him after the end of the Amarnath Yatra. It would have bought some reprieve and allowed the Yatra to go through without risk. This too can be debated with all the wisdom of not being responsible for the decision making. It is actually only those who wear the hat of responsibility who know the reality of it. No doubt, the life of a terrorist in Kashmir is always limited but there is never a guarantee that an opportunity will arise soon after. Shabir Baduri, Hizbul Mujahideen leader of South Kashmir, too lived a charmed life for more than nine years after his entry into militancy. Burhan Wani was already in the sixth year. A little more than a year ago I was of the view that Kashmir Valley was in the Last Mile of militancy. I did hurry to add that the Last Mile is sometimes the longest stage of a militancy/terror campaign. It is characterised by a few things all of which appear to be playing out currently. First is the low terrorist strength brought on by the success of the Army and the State Police. Second is the energetic attempt to eliminate the last terrorist without success. Third is the higher ratio of casualties suffered by the  Army and police, some say due to complacency but also due to more innovation by the terrorists to target the vulnerabilities. Fourth, and very importantly, is the virtual inability of the politician or civil society leaders to come forward and take the next step. An important aspect of the Last Mile theory is the fact that each time this failure on the part of the political and civil society leadership occurs, the situation starts to slip back and alternative ways of enhancing relevance of the cause and the movement is found. Just place this theory on the situation in Kashmir Valley of the last few years and you will find an unerring match. The surmise should be the urgency of political initiatives to grab the situation or the necessity of launching imaginative peace initiatives to recapture the minds of the ‘lost generation’. Both can happen and need to happen simultaneously. This requires deep introspection and intellectual application of mind with a plethora of techniques of communication. In other words it is all about communication, communication and communication. You will hear this phrase in more than one place in ongoing writings in media. Yet, there is no one to examine how exactly this needs to be done. Is there an institution in India which can support the Government of India in doing this? If not, let us urgently create one and no one needs to tell anyone that it has to be representative of various disciplines, from the academia to the military and from the psychologist to the politician. Observations can be endless when one sits away from responsibility. That is one other reason why intellectual support to the Government is so necessary; people with responsibility have less time to think but tend to think they know everything. Everyone has time for The Islamic State in Syria and Bangladesh but seldom do our think-tanks ever conduct long structured deliberation over Jammu & Kashmir. So limited is the passion to apply the mind to Jammu & Kashmir that one of India’s greatest security challenges remains impoverished as far as intellectual application is concerned. A last thought. It hasn’t occurred to many that the same youth from Tral and Kulgam who throw stones at policemen also stand in a queue in thousands to join the JAK Light Infantry and the JAK Rifles of the Indian Army. I have never found them to be unequal soldiers or short on patriotic fervour. In fact theirs is the most courageous existence as they go back home and openly wear their unit track suits even in market places. Can this phenomenon not be examined? I did it once in the environment of Badami Bagh. Many of the young people openly abused the nation, me and the Indian Army but then over tea asked me how they could join the Indian Army. It is this dual personality of the youth which convinces me that a completely different approach is necessary, a different way of reaching the mind. Direct outreach through social media is one of them.